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Sunday, 29 September 2013

Lau- Palong er Ghonto ( Bottle Gourd Spinach Medley)

In between posting about the Goa trip I thought of posting a quickie recipe. Leafy vegetables have always been my favorite. The following family recipe is a very easy one with minimum ingredients. Spinach is packed with vital nutrients such as iron and beta-carotene, and it's a good source of fiber. While Bottle gourd has many health benefits least known to many like it helps liver function, a good weight loss food and is rich in, thiamin, vitamin C, zinc, iron and magnesium.

When you are craving for some Palak preparation and want to cook up a hassle free dish this is ideal for you.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves:2

Cuisine: Bengali

Ingredients:

Spinach (Palong Shak) - 1 bunch

Bottle Gourd (Lau) - 1 Medium (250 gm)

Radhuni (Wild Celery Seeds) - 1/2 tsp

Jeera whole (Cumin Seeds) - 1/2 tsp

Bay Leaf - 2

Green Chilli - 2

Rice Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Kolai Dal Bori (Vadi/ Udad Lentil dumplings) - 7-8

Turmeric

Refined Oil

Salt as per taste

Sugar as per taste

1. Wash and chop the spinach leaves

2. Finely cut the Bottle gourd into small pieces.

3. Take a wok and add 2 cups of water, add a pinch of salt and add the chopped bottle gourd. Boil the gourd for 5-8 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

4. Fry the Bori till browned, keep aside to cool. When they have cooled down coarsely grind them.

5. Take a wok and add oil. When the oil is heated, toss in the Bay leaf, cumin and Radhuni. When the spices are fragrant add the chopped Spinach leaves.

6. Add turmeric, salt and sugar.

7. Slit the green chillies and add it to the wok.

8. When the Spinach starts to reduce and release water add the blanched bottle gourd. Fold in.

9. When everything is cooked add the rice powder and mix well.

Rice power helps in acquiring the mushy consistency. Taste is not affected on adding rice powder. You can easily get rice powder at any grocer store.

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About Me

Folks, welcome to this small corner of the world which is my kitchen. I am a Bengali which by default makes me a certified connoisseur of food, but most of the time in kitchen I follow my own rules. Being poor at remembering the recipes I end up experimenting a lot with my food and still manage to keep it edible.

I am a software engineer by profession and a writer at heart. I love photography and travelling. Creativity is my forte. I hate being stereotype, so this space won’t be just limited to food ideas and recipes, but a lot more about the day to day unnoticed stories that goes into making that signature dish of yours. My blog is a humble attempt to present our culinary heritage to one and all and document traditional recipes which gets passed on through generations just by word of mouth.